Last week I got the chance to chat with literary agent David Fulgate. I always appreciate David’s advice on publishing because, even though he makes his living representing traditionally published authors, he recognizes that in some cases it’s better for authors to self-publish. The insight I gained from him a few years ago was this: Unless you’re getting an advance of 100K …
Read More »Search Results for: book cover design
Kindle Direct Publishing paperback option is (nearly) unusable, stick with Createspace for print on demand
UPDATE: Amazon got rid of Createspace altogether, so KDP print is your only option now. Sometimes it will flag things for issues, several times, but if you keep uploading it, the document might get approved (still buggy, as of 2019). Also, the cover generator rounds to the nearest 10th page I think, so it’s not as accurate as other tools. Also, …
Read More »8 weeks to $100K (Course launch case study)
First, let me catch you up to speed. I’ve been doing online business for about 10 years. I get pretty good, very specific traffic (people who want to publish a book) and get about 100 optins a day with no ads or promotion. The problem is, I’ve had trouble turning that traffic into real revenue. Most of my sites don’t …
Read More »How to organize and run a writing retreat (that actually makes money) + 4 things you didn’t know about me
Last year I shared a castle with some writer friends for Nanowrimo and got featured in CNN. We’ve decided we like living in castles and want to do more of it. Specifically, I love how effective I can be with someone when I’m actually in the same room, and can really dig deep and focus on helping them improve their …
Read More »$35K in 7 months self-publishing on Kindle
“Can you really make a living as a writer?” Last year I decided to put my PhD in Literature to good use and write some novels; specifically, I wanted to see whether I could actually make a living as a writer. The short answer is YES. I made about 35K in six months publishing fiction on Kindle (while travelling the …
Read More »Nanowrimo Castle – help me choose!
Last year I rented a chateau in France for Nanowrimo. We got some great press coverage and had an amazing time. All in all, I think we did pretty well. I love the idea of running writing retreats in castles, so I’m doing it again this year. Last year I built a big sales page and offered a ton of …
Read More »How to be untrustworthy
Over the past seven years, I’ve built a few platforms that get a decent amount of traffic. For the past three years, I’ve been trying to convert some of that traffic into revenue through digital products and courses, so I can focus more time on my writing. Although I have had some success, I’m also sure things aren’t going as …
Read More »Join me on Spanish island? (Writing retreat in Mallorca)
We’ve spent several months in the USA this year, and I’m already itching to get back to Europe. The slow pace, the clean air, the historic buildings… I just always feel more creatively inspired if my surroundings are uplifting. Our current plan is Portugal in September, Prague or Frankfurt in October, a castle in Austria for November, then hopefully Malta …
Read More »Zero to $10K a month in passive income in less than 12 months
Note: I’m not at $10K a month in passive income yet, but I think I will be by the end of this year… this post is about my plans to improve my sales funnels. I don’t like talking about how much my business earns, because it doesn’t give the full picture. With all the services and tools I pay for, …
Read More »Writing under the influence: productivity and motivation tips to help authors write faster
Years ago I started working on a book called “The Creative Brain on Drugs.” It’s a book not just about the various mind-stimulating or sensation-altering substances that the majority of writers and artists have depended on for creative insight, but also their political views on the inherent right to self-modify, without government oversight. But after years of trying to write …
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